Jan 5 The Rooney Rule: The NFL's Spin On Affirmative Action

The Rooney Rule dictates that an NFL franchise owner must interview a candidate of “color,” as part of their process for selecting a new head coach or general manager. There is no such similar requirement, or burden to be met, outside of that sphere. This step in the process is subject to review, by the League, and the League can fine teams who are found to have “not satisfied” the rule. The proponents of this rule claim it is necessary, in order to allow certain individuals opportunities to receive consideration, who otherwise wouldn’t garner a look. The accusation levied on the NFL owners, is that they are a "good ole boys’" club, actively seeking to keep minorities out of the exclusively white coaching fraternity. What is really going on here, and what should be done?

The Rooney Rule exists solely due to the leftist idea that there MUST be racism causing blacks to be underrepresented in a certain profession, wherever there is a statistical disparity. As we all know, statistical disparities do not automatically mean discrimination is taking place. First of all, there are a plethora of reasons individuals may not be hired. Coaching style, offensive schemes, defensive schemes, experience, community involvement, record, requested salary, and several other areas all go into consideration, when an owner is choosing the best candidate for their needs. It shouldn’t matter what color their skin is, as long as the owner is not basing their decision off of a coach’s racial makeup. Second, the Rooney rule doesn’t even guarantee results. The intent of the rule is to give non-white individuals an opportunity, they may not get otherwise, as I stated earlier. There has been no evidence presented, alleging the Rooney rule is responsible for a single minority coach or GM being hired. Those who have been hired, were probably hired because they were QUALIFIED. If the only goal of the sporting community’s left is to create meaningless interviews, then they have achieved tremendous success. If not, then it is just that. A giant waste of time, a mere formality, and another example of the left flexing their perceived moral superiority. You see, they do not need to be responsible for any black candidates receiving head coaching or general manager positions… They believe they are successful, because they are major league virtue signaling. The leftist feels good, because they are forcing their brand of “equality.” Equality of outcome. If the outcome isn’t equal, they’ve still won, because their intent was in the right place.

Okay. The leftist tentacles reaching into the sporting world have been successfully outed, so what’s next? Is there a problem consisting of an all-white fraternity of NFL elites, shattering the hopes of scores of qualified black candidates? There has been zero evidence of this, to date. The fact is that many teams employ several black coaches, as well as black players, for that matter. However, there is no such rule, forcing owners to consider minority players or assistant coaches. Shocking. You don’t hear stories of minority interviewees coming away from a situation “knowing” that they lost their job to a white coach, due to racism. You don’t see exposés written about whistleblowers blowing the lid off an NFL franchise owner’s racist hiring process. Not at all. Is it possible that these owners are actually summing up human beings based on the content of their character, the skills they possess, and their overall experience? Absolutely.

The right move, here, is to install freedom into the process. Regulations are almost always overarching and stifling. Not to mention, ineffective, according to their originally intended purpose. Remove the Rooney rule, and give individuals the opportunity to be decent human beings. Stop driving home the idea that there is a vast shadow-world, actively seeking to undermine the opportunities for certain groups of people. There is a societal impact, which is a direct result of this accusation. People believe it is happening, simply because they are told it is happening. This actually causes members of different backgrounds to be more skeptical of one another, and less trusting, for no reason. The NFL’s Rooney rule is unnecessary and discriminatory, and simply needs to end. On a broader level, the left needs to wake up and realize they live in 2018, and opportunity has never been more equal. Their existence relies on Americans believing their neighbors are vile, racist, misogynist pigs, whose only hope is for the all-knowing/ever benevolent federal government to forcefully guide individuals to “do the right thing.” Get out of sports, before you ruin them for the rest of us.